Transparent service-aware multi-path networking with a feature of multiplexing

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method, a computer program product, and a computer system for multi-path networking with a feature of multiplexing. One or more computing devices or servers configure wrappers for respective ones of applications and run the applications with the wrappers preloaded to the respective ones of the applications. The wrappers establish communication through one or more alternative paths between wrapped applications, where the one or more alternative paths are parallel to an original path between the applications. The wrappers exchange data between the applications through either the one or more alternative paths or the original path. The wrappers finalize connections through the one or more alternative paths, in response to all the data being exchanged.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to a network of services, andmore particularly to transparent service-aware multi-path networkingwith a feature of multiplexing.

Modern applications often are broken down as a network of services. Theservice-to-service communication can be coded into each service buttypically is delegated to a service mesh. This service mesh is builtinto an application as an array of network proxies. These proxies, alsoreferred to as sidecars, are responsible for routing requests andproviding features such as security and observability. However, twoissues may arise from this practice. An additional logical hop affectsperformance, both latency and bandwidth. The set of features andsupported technologies, including communication, is restricted to whatis provided by the sidecar.

To resolve the issues, technologies in the art focus on the followingaspects: (1) hardware offloading to bypass or accelerateprotocol-related operations; (2) protocol-specific methods, such asInternet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) and Hypertext TransferProtocol (HTTP), to accelerate transfers using caching and/or hashing;(3) solutions that change the original communication path; (4) directmemory access based optimizations; (5) routing acceleration; (6) librarypreloading to implement encryption and decryption; and (7) librarypreloading to accelerate intra-node socket communication viainterprocess doors.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for multi-path networkingwith a feature of multiplexing is provided. The computer-implementedmethod includes configuring wrappers for respective ones ofapplications. The method further includes running the applications withthe wrappers which are preloaded to the respective ones of theapplications. The computer-implemented method further includesestablishing, by the wrappers, communication through one or morealternative paths between wrapped applications, where the one or morealternative paths are parallel to an original path between theapplications. The computer-implemented method further includesexchanging, by the wrappers, data between the applications througheither the one or more alternative paths or the original path. Thecomputer-implemented method further includes finalizing, by thewrappers, connections through the one or more alternative paths, inresponse to all the data being exchanged.

In another aspect, a computer program product for multi-path networkingwith a feature of multiplexing is provided. The computer program productcomprises a computer readable storage medium having program instructionsembodied therewith, and the program instructions are executable by oneor more processors. The program instructions are executable to configurewrappers for respective ones of applications; run the applications withthe wrappers which are preloaded to the respective ones of theapplications; establish, by the wrappers, communication through one ormore alternative paths between wrapped applications, where the one ormore alternative paths are parallel to an original path between theapplications; exchange, by the wrappers, data between the applicationsthrough either the one or more alternative paths or the original path;and finalize, by the wrappers, connections through the one or morealternative paths, in response to all the data being exchanged.

In yet another aspect, a computer system for multi-path networking witha feature of multiplexing is provided. The computer system comprises oneor more processors, one or more computer readable tangible storagedevices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one ormore computer readable tangible storage devices for execution by atleast one of the one or more processors. The program instructions areexecutable to configure wrappers for respective ones of applications.The program instructions are further executable to run the applicationwith the wrappers which are preloaded to the respective ones of theapplications. The program instructions are further executable toestablish, by the wrappers, communication through one or morealternative paths between wrapped applications, where the one or morealternative paths are parallel to an original path between theapplications. The program instructions are further executable toexchange, by the wrappers, data between the applications through eitherthe one or more alternative paths or the original path. The programinstructions are further executable to finalize, by the wrappers,connections through the one or more alternative paths, in response toall the data being exchanged.

For configuring the wrappers, the computer-implemented method, computerprogram product, and the computer system further include determining atleast one of following parameters: how many parallel paths are created,what interconnect is to be used for each alternative path, whatcommunication protocol is to be used for each alternative path, whatfeatures are made available for each alternative path, what rules governpath multiplexing, whether multiple alternative paths are used at sametime, and whether multiple alternative paths are used for same transferof data between the applications.

For running the application with the wrappers, the computer-implementedmethod, computer program product, and the computer system furtherinclude initializing the wrappers by creating and defining globalstructures used by the wrappers, initializing the wrappers by creatingand defining thread-local structures, and initializing the wrappers bycreating function references to original functions of the original path.

For establishing the communication, the computer-implemented method,computer program product, and the computer system further include:calling, by a first application, an original function to establish aconnection to a second application; determining, by the wrappers,whether the one or more alternative paths are to be created in parallelto the original path; in response to determining that the one or morealternative paths are to be created, calling, by the wrappers, afunction to create the one or more alternative paths; connecting, by thewrappers, the first application and the second application through theone or more alternative paths; in response to determining that the oneor more alternative paths are not to be created, calling, by thewrappers, an original function to establish the original path; andreturning, by the wrapper, results to the first application, through theoriginal path.

For exchanging the data, the computer-implemented method, computerprogram product, and the computer system further include: calling, by afirst application, an original function to exchange data between thefirst application and a second application; determining, by the wrapper,whether there is data to be exchanged; in response to determining thatthere is still data to be exchanged, determining, based on wrapperparameters and logic, by the wrappers, either the one or morealternative paths or the original path is to be used for data exchange;adjusting, by the wrappers, the wrapper parameters, to meet requirementsof either the one or more alternative paths or the original path;calling, by the wrappers, a function corresponding to either the one ormore alternative paths or the original path, for the data exchange; andin response to determining that there is no further data to beexchanged, returning, by the wrappers, results to the first application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a base scenario of a communication path between twoapplications.

FIG. 2 illustrates a proxy scenario of a communication path between twoapplications.

FIG. 3 illustrates a wrapper scenario of communication paths between twoapplications, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing operational steps of a wrapper scenario ofcommunication paths between two applications, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing operational steps of an execution phase ina wrapper scenario of communication paths between two applications, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing operational steps of a connection phase ina wrapper scenario of communication paths between two applications, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing operational steps of an exchange phase ina wrapper scenario of communication paths between two applications, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating components of a computing device orserver, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 depicts a cloud computing environment, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 depicts abstraction model layers in a cloud computingenvironment, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method for transparentlycreating and using multiple communication paths with differentproperties to accelerate workloads, provide additional features, andmake use of communication technologies the application does notoriginally support.

The present invention addresses the issues in the currentservice-to-service communication, by creating alternative paths that areassociated to an original path. These alternative paths may be lighterthan the original path and therefore with faster response and betterthroughput. These alternative paths provide features the original pathdoes not have access to. These alternative paths make use ofcommunication technologies the original path does not implement, such asother protocols and interconnects. Moreover, the alternative paths arecreated using a preloading-based mechanism in parallel to the originalpath. This ensures that communication properties are kept unchanged,such as source addresses and host addresses.

In embodiments of the present invention, data exchanges can be performedthrough multiple paths without data loss or synchronization issues,since the application buffer is managed by the disclosed method. Thisgreatly amplifies a set of resources available to an application layerwithout requiring changes to applications or infrastructures, whichbenefits applications delivered as services (e.g., cloud computing) andany other applications that make use of networking resources (as a formof extending capabilities and improving performance).

The disclosed method in the present invention has the followingfeatures: transparent creation and management of multiple paths ofcommunication are parallel to an original path; a library preloadingbased mechanism ensures that alternative paths are synchronized to anoriginal path; preloaded data exchange functions are able to alternatebetween paths or even combine them to deliver higher throughput and/orexpand the feature set exposed to an application layer; and serviceinitiation may be kept intact by exchanging initial packets over anoriginal path.

In the present invention, a preloading-based method for transparentlycreating and using multiple communication paths between two entitieswith different sets of features and underlying technologies. (1) Basedon library calls originally made in application code, one or morealternative paths are created in parallel while maintainingconnection-related aspects, such as a source or destination host (amachine) and application buffers. (2) Each alternative path mayimplement a different set of features; on one hand, this can be used toimplement a fast path between two entities by providing a directcommunication channel without any extra features; on the other hand,this can be used to extend features an application already provides,such as encryption and observability. (3) For each subsequentcommunication-related call, an appropriate path is used to exchangedata. The selection of the appropriate path is based on user-definedand/or application-defined criteria. For instance, if the selection isbased on the amount of data exchanged, the communication path isswitched after a specific threshold is met. (4) Service initiation iskept intact. Based on the criteria above, specific parts of thecommunication can be kept unchanged and therefore the original path isused. For instance, the initial packets may be sent through the originalchannel to trigger proxy-based service initiation directives that areneeded to properly start and complete a request.

The present invention therefore extends the concept of service-awareinfrastructures by transparently providing a flexible set of featureswhile not requiring a dedicated proxy, which may affect performance.Still, the present invention is capable enough to integrate to existingservice infrastructures and proxies by allowing part of the traffic totraverse the original communication path. No modifications are needed atan application level, nor at an infrastructure (service) level. This canbe used both to accelerate workloads and to provide features that aservice layer may not currently offer.

FIG. 1 illustrates a base scenario of a communication path between twoapplications. The base scenario represents a conventional setup of twoapplications, x_(a) and y_(a), that exchange data over a network. Forexample, the two applications may be a client-server application pair.In another example, the two applications may be two distinct cloudservices that must exchange data in order to implement applicationlogic. Communication between applications x_(a) and y_(a) is over patha, and the communication over path a must be implemented and managed byapplication code.

FIG. 2 illustrates a proxy scenario of a communication path between twoapplications. The proxy scenario represents the typical setup of aservice mesh. Communication logic is not handled by application code.Instead, communication is handled by proxies: proxy x_(p) forapplication x_(a) and proxy y_(p) for application y_(a). Proxy x_(p) andproxy y_(p) intermediates all exchanges between applications x_(a) andy_(a). Using some form of packet-based redirection (e.g., iptables), aproxy on one side intercepts outgoing calls, applies translation logicand other features that are relevant to the service mesh (e.g., securityand observability), and sends traffic to the original destinationthrough the proxy-based communication path p. A proxy on the other sideintercepts incoming traffic, applies similar logic, and finally forwardspackets to the original receiver.

FIG. 3 illustrates a wrapper scenario of communication paths between twoapplications, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. The wrapper scenario includes one wrapper for eachapplication, as shown in FIG. 3 , wrapper x_(w) for application x_(a)and wrapper y_(w) for application y_(a). The wrappers are enabled via alibrary interposition mechanism that allows the wrappers to overrideexisting function calls (for example LD_PRELOAD). Every communicationrelated call is intercepted by the wrappers through this mechanism. Foreach of these calls, a wrapper library creates and manages alternativepaths w parallel to an original path. These alternative paths w reuse,to some degree, the information about the original path, such as sourceand destination hosts. The alternative paths w may implement the samecommunication technology (i.e., protocols and interconnect) used by theoriginal path; however, the alternative paths w may use differenttechnologies from those used by the original path.

For each communication call (e.g., sends and receives, or reads andwrites), the wrapper library is consulted to define whether the packetmust be sent over the original path or over one of the parallelalternative paths. A set of packets may be transferred using one or morepaths, including the original one. The decision may be based on theamount of data exchanged, on connection properties (e.g., a protocolused), or even on the contents of the exchanges.

The system and method of the wrapper scenario shown in FIG. 3 may beimplemented on one or more computing devices or servers. A computingdevice or server is described in more detail in later paragraphs withreference to FIG. 8 . The system and method of the wrapper scenarioshown in FIG. 3 may be implemented in a cloud computing environment. Thecloud computing environment is described in more detail in laterparagraphs with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing operational steps of a wrapper scenario ofcommunication paths between two applications, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. At step 410, one or more computingdevices or servers configure wrappers for respective ones ofapplications. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the computing devices orservers configure wrapper x_(w) for application x_(a) and wrapper y_(w)for application y_(a). This step is a wrapper set up phase. In thewrapper set up phase, the configuration of the wrappers may determinehow many parallel paths are created; in the example shown in FIG. 3 ,three parallel alternative paths w are created. In the wrapper set upphase, the configuration of the wrappers may also determine at least oneof the following parameters: what interconnect is to be used for eachalternative path, what communication protocol is to be used for eachpath, what features are made available for each alternative path, whatrules govern path multiplexing, whether multiple paths are used at thesame time, and whether multiple paths are used for the same transfer ofdata between the applications.

At step 420, the one or more computing devices or servers run theapplications with the wrappers which are preloaded to the respectiveones of the applications. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the computingdevices or servers run application x_(a) with preloaded wrapper x_(w)and application y_(a) with preloaded wrapper y_(w). This step is anexecution phase. In the execution phase, the LD_PRELOAD mechanismavailable on a Unix system may be used. The execution phase may also bedone by compiling the application while linking the wrapper library inan appropriate build phase. In the execution phase, another possibilityfor interpreted libraries is importing wrapper libraries so thatwhatever communication functions are overridden by the wrappers.Detailed description of the execution phase will be discussed in laterparagraphs with reference to FIG. 5 .

At step 430, wrapped applications (the applications preloaded with thewrappers) establish communication between the wrapped applications,through one or more alternative paths which are parallel to an originalpath between the applications. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , thecommunication between the wrapped applications x_(a)+x_(w) andy_(a)+y_(w) are established through alternative paths w; the alternativepaths w are parallel to the original path p between applications x_(a)and y_(a). This step is a connection phase. The connection phase variesaccording to the original path technology used. For example, for TCP/IPsockets, the connection phase is done by a set of coordinated calls tofunctions such as socket( ), connect( ), bind( ), listen( ), and accept(), Since the other application has been executed with a wrapper library,these calls used to establish communication also create alternativecommunication paths. The connection phase will be discussed in detail inlater paragraphs with reference to FIG. 6 .

Once the communication is established at step 430, at step 440, thewrapped applications exchange data. Exchanging data between the wrappedapplications are through the one or more alternative paths or theoriginal path. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the wrapped applicationsx_(a)+x_(w) and y_(a)+y_(w) exchange data through the alternative pathsw or the original path p between applications x_(a) and y_(a). This stepis an exchange phase. Each wrapped application may send and receive datain the exchange phase, typically in the form of packets or segments ofdata. Since each call made to send and receive data is wrapped, eachcall can be further controlled in terms of whether the alternative pathsshould be used, which features should be applied to traffic and packets,and what rules should govern these exchanges until they are finished.The exchange phase will be discussed in detail in later paragraphs withreference to FIG. 7 .

After exchanging all data needed at step 440, at step 450, the wrappedapplications finalize connections between the wrapped applications. Thisstep triggers cleanup phase directives for the alternative paths createdby the wrappers. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the wrappedapplications x_(a)+x_(w) and y_(a)+y_(w) finalize the connection throughthe alternative paths w.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing operational steps of an execution phase ina wrapper scenario of communication paths between two applications, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. At step 510,the one or more computing devices or servers configure how the wrappersare preloaded to the respective ones of the applications. For example,step 510 typically involves using some form of the LD_PRELOAD mechanismor directly linking and/or using the wrapper component in theapplication executable. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the one or morecomputing devices or servers configure how the wrapper x_(w) ispreloaded to the application x_(a) and how the wrapper y_(w) ispreloaded to the application y_(a).

At step 520, the one or more computing devices or servers execute theapplications preloaded with respective ones of the wrappers that areactivated. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the one or more computingdevices or servers start the application x_(a) preloaded with thewrapper x_(w) and the application y_(a) preloaded with the wrappery_(w).

At step 530, the one or more computing devices or servers initialize thewrappers by creating and defining global structures used by thewrappers. Once the wrapped applications are started, the wrappersautomatically are initialized. The global data structures used by thewrappers include lists and maps of communication paths (the alternativepaths w in the example shown in FIG. 3 ) that must be defined once theoriginal path (the original path p in the example shown in FIG. 3 ) iscreated.

At step 540, the one or more computing devices or servers initialize thewrappers by creating and defining thread-local structures. Thethread-local structures provide further support for multi-threadedapplications. Creating and defining the thread-local structures ensures,for instance, the ability to properly map resources defined in a control(main) thread to resources that are to be used by a worker thread.Creating and defining the thread-local structures also ensures that thealternative paths match the original path on a per-thread pair basis.

At step 550, the one or more computing devices or servers initialize thewrappers by creating function references to original functions of theoriginal path. The original functions are interposed by one or morewrapper libraries. Creating the function references to the originalfunctions allows calling these original functions from the wrapper code.The original functions are the ones that actually implement the logic toestablish connections and exchange data, for instance.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing operational steps of a connection phase ina wrapper scenario of communication paths between two applications, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. At step 610, afirst application calls an original function to establish a connectionto a second application. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , theapplication x_(a) may call to establish a connection to the applicationy_(a), and vice versa.

At step 620, wrappers preloaded to the first application and the secondapplication determine whether the one or more alternative paths are tobe created in parallel to the original path between the applications. Inthe example shown in FIG. 3 , the wrapper x_(w) preloaded to theapplication x_(a) and the wrapper y_(w) preloaded to the applicationy_(a) determine whether the alternative paths w are to be created inparallel to the original path p.

In response to determining that the one or more alternative paths are tobe created (YES branch of decision step 620), at step 630, the wrapperscall a function to create the one or more alternative paths between thefirst application and the second application. For each alternative pathto be created, a function is called to create the alternative path. Thefunction depends on the interconnect and protocol to be used. Forinstance, the socket( ) function is called to create a TCP/IP socket, orthe rsocket( ) function is called to create an remote direct memoryaccess (RDMA) based InfiniBand communication channel. InfiniBand is acomputer networking communications standard. At step 630, the wrapperscomplete any setup required by a set of features to be included in theone or more alternative paths. For instance, this may include seedinitialization for an encryption library or proper data structures formetering and observability. At step 640, the wrappers connect the firstapplication and the second application, through the one or morealternative paths.

In response to determining that the one or more alternative paths arenot to be created (NO branch of decision step 620), at step 650, thewrappers call an original function to establish the original pathbetween the first application and the second application. In the exampleshown in FIG. 3 , the wrapper x_(w) and the wrapper y_(w) call theoriginal function to establish the original path p.

At step 660, the wrappers return results through the original path tothe first application (which is a caller). The last step involvesreturning results from the original function call to the caller—theapplication code. This ensures that all operations executed in theconnection phase are transparent to the application code. Errors areraised to the caller when appropriate and using the mechanisms that theapplication code understands (i.e., error codes that the originalfunction library supports).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing operational steps of an exchange phase ina wrapper scenario of communication paths between two applications, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. At step 710, afirst application calls an original function to exchange data betweenthe first application and a second application. In the example shown inFIG. 3 , the application x_(a) may call to exchange the data between thefirst application and the second application, and vice versa. Theprocess starts when the first application calls a data exchange functionfrom an original library.

At step 720, wrappers preloaded to the first application and secondapplication determine whether there is still data to be exchanged. Inthe example shown in FIG. 3 , the wrapper x_(w) preloaded to theapplication x_(a) and the wrapper y_(w) preloaded to the applicationy_(a) determine whether there is data to be exchanged between theapplication x_(a) and the application y_(a). The decision typically isstraightforward at the beginning of data exchange—there should be datato send and/or receive. However, after the first calls are made,depending on how the exchange logic is implemented, the function mayreturn the amount of bytes effectively exchanged with the remotecounterpart. This number of bytes may be lower than the total amount tobe exchanged. Consequently, this control is necessary to ensure whetherthe data transfer is completed.

In response to determining that there is no further data to be exchanged(NO branch of decision step 720), at step 760, the wrappers returnresults to the first application (which is a caller). In the exampleshown in FIG. 3 , the wrapper x_(w) preloaded to the application x_(a)and the wrapper y_(w) return the results to the application x_(a) (whichis a caller making the call at step 710). Once the exchange is finished(or there is no further data to be exchanged), the results must bereturned to the caller. Similar to step 660 in the connection phaseshown in FIG. 6 , step 760 ensures that the application code receives aconsistent result after the call is completed.

In response to determining that there is still data to be exchanged (YESbranch of decision step 720), at step 730, the wrappers determineseither the one or more alternative paths or the original path betweenthe first application and the second application are to be used for dataexchange, based on wrapper parameters and logic. In the example shown inFIG. 3 , the wrapper x_(w) and the wrapper y_(w) determines either thealternative paths w or the original path p is to be used for the dataexchange. Wrapper parameters (user setups) and logic are used todetermine which path(s) are to be used for the data exchange. Forinstance, the wrappers are configured to use an original path until theamount of bytes exchanged reaches a certain threshold. Once thethreshold is met, an alternative path (provided by the wrappers) will beused. In this case, the wrappers have been previously configured withregard to the operation mode and the threshold value. The exchange logicis responsible for keeping track of the number of bytes exchanged. Oncethe threshold is met, the wrapper multiplexer switches to thealternative path.

At step 740, the wrappers adjust the wrapper parameters, to meetrequirements of either the one or more alternative paths or the originalpath. Each path has specific requirements to be met and requiresmodifications to be made in the exchange parameters. For instance, usingthe same example from step 730, if an alternative path must be usedbased on a threshold controlled by the number of bytes exchanged, thenthe number of bytes exchanged over an original path must not exceed thatthreshold. The exchange parameters are therefore modified to exchangeonly up to THE threshold bytes before switching to the alternative path.

At step 750, the wrappers call a function corresponding to either theone or more alternative paths or the original path, for the dataexchange. At this step also includes selecting features for either theone or more alternative paths or the original path. For instance, ifeither the one or more alternative paths or the original path mustprovide encryption, an appropriate call to an encryption library (e.g.,OpenSSL) must be made to protect traffic.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating components of computing device orserver 800, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.It should be appreciated that FIG. 8 provides only an illustration ofone implementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to theenvironment in which different embodiments may be implemented.

Referring to FIG. 8 , computing device or server 800 includesprocessor(s) 820, memory 810, and tangible storage device(s) 830. InFIG. 8 , communications among the above-mentioned components ofcomputing device or server 800 are denoted by numeral 890. Memory 810includes ROM(s) (Read Only Memory) 811, RAM(s) (Random Access Memory)813, and cache(s) 815. One or more operating systems 831 and one or morecomputer programs 833 reside on one or more computer readable tangiblestorage device(s) 830.

Computing device or server 800 further includes I/O interface(s) 850.I/O interface(s) 850 allows for input and output of data with externaldevice(s) 860 that may be connected to computing device or server 800.Computing device or server 800 further includes network interface(s) 840for communications between computing device or server 800 and a computernetwork.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the C programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a computer, or other programmable data processing apparatusto produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computerreadable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readablestorage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable dataprocessing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the computer readable storage medium havinginstructions stored therein comprises an article of manufactureincluding instructions which implement aspects of the function/actspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be accomplished as one step, executed concurrently,substantially concurrently, in a partially or wholly temporallyoverlapping manner, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in thereverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will alsobe noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts orcarry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 9 , illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices are used bycloud consumers, such as mobile device 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptopcomputer 54C, and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate.Nodes 10 may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (notshown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such asPrivate, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove,or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N areintended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes 10 and cloudcomputing environment 50 can communicate with any type of computerizeddevice over any type of network and/or network addressable connection(e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 10 , a set of functional abstraction layersprovided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 9 ) is shown. It shouldbe understood in advance that the components, layers, and functionsshown in FIG. 10 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments ofthe invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layersand corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and function 96. Function 96 in the presentinvention is the functionality of transparent service-aware multi-pathnetworking with a feature of multiplexing.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for multi-pathnetworking with a feature of multiplexing, the method comprising:configuring wrappers for respective ones of applications; running theapplications with the wrappers which are preloaded to the respectiveones of the applications; establishing, by the wrappers, communicationthrough one or more alternative paths between wrapped applications, theone or more alternative paths being parallel to an original path betweenthe applications; exchanging, by the wrappers, data between theapplications through either the one or more alternative paths or theoriginal path; and finalizing, by the wrappers, connections through theone or more alternative paths, in response to all the data beingexchanged.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, configuringthe wrappers further comprising: determining at least one of followingparameters: how many parallel paths are created, what interconnect is tobe used for each alternative path, what communication protocol is to beused for each alternative path, what features are made available foreach alternative path, what rules govern path multiplexing, whethermultiple alternative paths are used at same time, and whether multiplealternative paths are used for same transfer of data between theapplications.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, running theapplication with the wrappers further comprising: initializing thewrappers by creating and defining global structures used by thewrappers; initializing the wrappers by creating and definingthread-local structures; and initializing the wrappers by creatingfunction references to original functions of the original path.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, establishing the communicationfurther comprising: calling, by a first application, an originalfunction to establish a connection to a second application; determining,by the wrappers, whether the one or more alternative paths are to becreated in parallel to the original path; in response to determiningthat the one or more alternative paths are to be created, calling, bythe wrappers, a function to create the one or more alternative paths;connecting, by the wrappers, the first application and the secondapplication through the one or more alternative paths.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising: in responseto determining that the one or more alternative paths are not to becreated, calling, by the wrappers, an original function to establish theoriginal path; and returning, by the wrapper, results to the firstapplication, through the original path.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, exchanging the data further comprising: calling, by afirst application, an original function to exchange data between thefirst application and a second application; determining, by the wrapper,whether there is still data to be exchanged; in response to determiningthat there is still data to be exchanged, determining, by the wrappers,based on wrapper parameters and logic, either the one or morealternative paths or the original path is to be used for data exchange;adjusting, by the wrappers, the wrapper parameters, to meet requirementsof either the one or more alternative paths or the original path; andcalling, by the wrappers, a function corresponding to either the one ormore alternative paths or the original path, for the data exchange. 7.The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising: inresponse to determining that there is no further data to be exchanged,returning, by the wrappers, results to the first application.
 8. Acomputer program product for multi-path networking with a feature ofmultiplexing, the computer program product comprising a computerreadable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith,the program instructions executable by one or more processors, theprogram instructions executable to: configure wrappers for respectiveones of applications; run the applications with the wrappers which arepreloaded to the respective ones of the applications; establish, by thewrappers, communication through one or more alternative paths betweenwrapped applications, the one or more alternative paths being parallelto an original path between the applications; exchange, by the wrappers,data between the applications through either the one or more alternativepaths or the original path; and finalize, by the wrappers, connectionsthrough the one or more alternative paths, in response to all the databeing exchanged.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8, forconfiguring the wrappers, further comprising the program instructionsexecutable to: determine at least one of following parameters: how manyparallel paths are created, what interconnect is to be used for eachalternative path, what communication protocol is to be used for eachalternative path, what features are made available for each alternativepath, what rules govern path multiplexing, whether multiple alternativepaths are used at same time, and whether multiple alternative paths areused for same transfer of data between the applications.
 10. Thecomputer program product of claim 8, for running the application withthe wrappers, further comprising the program instructions executable to:initialize the wrappers by creating and defining global structures usedby the wrappers; initialize the wrappers by creating and definingthread-local structures; and initialize the wrappers by creatingfunction references to original functions of the original path.
 11. Thecomputer program product of claim 8, for establishing the communication,further comprising the program instructions executable to: call, by afirst application, an original function to establish a connection to asecond application; determine, by the wrappers, whether the one or morealternative paths are to be created in parallel to the original path; inresponse to determining that the one or more alternative paths are to becreated, call, by the wrappers, a function to create the one or morealternative paths; connect, by the wrappers, the first application andthe second application through the one or more alternative paths. 12.The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising programinstructions executable to: in response to determining that the one ormore alternative paths are not to be created, call, by the wrappers, anoriginal function to establish the original path; and return, by thewrapper, results to the first application, through the original path.13. The computer program product of claim 8, for exchanging the data,further comprising program instructions executable to: call, by a firstapplication, an original function to exchange data between the firstapplication and a second application; determine, by the wrapper, whetherthere is still data to be exchanged; in response to determining thatthere is still data to be exchanged, determine, by the wrappers, basedon wrapper parameters and logic, either the one or more alternativepaths or the original path is to be used for data exchange; adjust, bythe wrappers, the wrapper parameters, to meet requirements of either theone or more alternative paths or the original path; and call, by thewrappers, a function corresponding to either the one or more alternativepaths or the original path, for the data exchange.
 14. The computerprogram product of claim 13, further comprising the program instructionsexecutable to: in response to determining that there is no further datato be exchanged, return, by the wrappers, results to the firstapplication.
 15. A computer system for multi-path networking with afeature of multiplexing, the computer system comprising one or moreprocessors, one or more computer readable tangible storage devices, andprogram instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computerreadable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of theone or more processors, the program instructions executable to:configure wrappers for respective ones of applications; run theapplications with the wrappers which are preloaded to the respectiveones of the applications; establish, by the wrappers, communicationthrough one or more alternative paths between wrapped applications, theone or more alternative paths being parallel to an original path betweenthe applications; exchange, by the wrappers, data between theapplications through either the one or more alternative paths or theoriginal path; and finalize, by the wrappers, connections through theone or more alternative paths, in response to all the data beingexchanged.
 16. The computer system of claim 15, for configuring thewrappers, further comprising the program instructions executable to:determine at least one of following parameters: how many parallel pathsare created, what interconnect is to be used for each alternative path,what communication protocol is to be used for each alternative path,what features are made available for each alternative path, what rulesgovern path multiplexing, whether multiple alternative paths are used atsame time, and whether multiple alternative paths are used for sametransfer of data between the applications.
 17. The computer system ofclaim 15 for running the application with the wrappers, furthercomprising the program instructions executable to: initialize thewrappers by creating and defining global structures used by thewrappers; initialize the wrappers by creating and defining thread-localstructures; and initialize the wrappers by creating function referencesto original functions of the original path.
 18. The computer system ofclaim 15, for establishing the communication, further comprising theprogram instructions executable to: call, by a first application, anoriginal function to establish a connection to a second application;determine, by the wrappers, whether the one or more alternative pathsare to be created in parallel to the original path; in response todetermining that the one or more alternative paths are to be created,call, by the wrappers, a function to create the one or more alternativepaths; connect, by the wrappers, the first application and the secondapplication through the one or more alternative paths.
 19. The computersystem of claim 18, further comprising program instructions executableto: in response to determining that the one or more alternative pathsare not to be created, call, by the wrappers, an original function toestablish the original path; and return, by the wrapper, results to thefirst application, through the original path.
 20. The computer system ofclaim 15, for exchanging the data, further comprising programinstructions executable to: call, by a first application, an originalfunction to exchange data between the first application and a secondapplication; determine, by the wrapper, whether there is still data tobe exchanged; in response to determining that there is still data to beexchanged, determine, by the wrappers, based on wrapper parameters andlogic, either the one or more alternative paths or the original path isto be used for data exchange; adjust, by the wrappers, the wrapperparameters, to meet requirements of either the one or more alternativepaths or the original path; call, by the wrappers, a functioncorresponding to either the one or more alternative paths or theoriginal path, for the data exchange; and in response to determiningthat there is no further data to be exchanged, return, by the wrappers,results to the first application.